


Splish Splash

by Pollydoodles



Series: The Pizza Dog Chronicles [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 04:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5953765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pollydoodles/pseuds/Pollydoodles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Darcy.”</p><p>“Mmmhmm?” She answered, distractedly, fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop as she translated Jane’s near-illegible scrawl from tattered sheets of paper into genuine tech-speak. Footnotes and all. “What the-“ She grasped a sheet to her face, pushing her glasses up her nose to focus, eyes squinting. What the heck does that even say?  She wondered, one hand absentmindedly scratching the back of her head, scrutinising the crumpled paper intently. </p><p>“Darcy.”</p><p>It wasn’t loud, or harsh, but there was a layer to the tone of her name that let her know that she was really needed. Like, right now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Splish Splash

“Darcy.”

“Mmmhmm?” She answered, distractedly, fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop as she translated Jane’s near-illegible scrawl from tattered sheets of paper into genuine tech-speak. Footnotes and all. “What the-“ She grasped a sheet to her face, pushing her glasses up her nose to focus, eyes squinting. What the heck does that even say? She wondered, one hand absentmindedly scratching the back of her head, scrutinising the crumpled paper intently. 

“Darcy.”

It wasn’t loud, or harsh, but there was a layer to the tone of her name that let her know that she was really needed. Like, right now.

“Sorry, sorry-“ The dark haired girl shook her head free of indecipherable notes, looked up from the computer and smiled at the man standing in front of her. She tipped her head to one side, observing him, and a waterfall of dark curls framed her face. “What’s up, Buck? I’m all yours.”

The man looked briefly gratified under her attention, and gave her a very small half-smile in return before his features settled back into worried mode. Darcy felt her heart squirm painfully in her chest as she watched his expression change. It was a little bit like dealing with a child, she thought. Assuming that child were over six foot, muscled to heck and could kill a man at ten paces if he happened to get out of bed the wrong side in the morning. 

“Pizza dog.” He said, urgently. “He’s messy.” 

Bucky was very conservative with his speech. Steve thought it was because his friend was unused to the art of conversation, and Darcy could see some logic in that. However, her own private theory was that it had been bred into him that he simply shouldn’t see the need for ten words when two would get the message across. The Winter Solider had been no more to Hydra than any other weapon, and they needed him to be as efficient as possible. Conversation, therefore, was considered an optional extra that they weren’t prepared to shell out for. 

Darcy let her gaze slide from Bucky to the ground. She was greeted by 65llbs of previously yellow Labrador, grinning up at her in a way that only dogs can. Lucky’s tail thumped enthusiastically against the floor as what she could only guess at as motor oil dripped down his head and back. Darcy gulped as globs of thick, black, liquid dropped and – she was guessing at worst case scenarios – stained the carpet. Pepper is gonna kill me.

“Yeah, he’s pretty messy, Buck.” She agreed, her tone even, turning her attention back to the man in front of her. “You been in Tony’s lab, huh?” The mess of dark hair nodded seriously at her, and she bit back a smile at the blue eyes which stared back at her. 

“Fixed arm.” Bucky stated, holding it out to her for inspection, and Darcy took his cool metal hand in her two warm, human ones. She knew that the arm was a game of two halves for him; he hated that it made him different yet he was driven to have it working in perfect order at all times. Stark was only too happy to play God with the shifting metal plates, but it did tend to get a little messy. 

“Looking good,” She said, running one hand up his arm, feeling the metal plates shift and adjust to her touch, and he rewarded her with a huge smile, ear to ear. Darcy sucked in a breath and tried to focus on the task at hand, something she was reminded of as Lucky nudged her free hand with a cold nose and her fingers came away tacky. 

“Yeuch,” she said, bringing her hand to her face and rotating it as she inspected the viscous goop that covered her fingers. “I think we’re gonna need some serious cleaning materials here.” 

Bucky nodded emphatically. “Have shampoo.” He said, and tugged at Darcy’s other hand, eyes wide and insistent. He could be very particular, and it was important to him to see things through to the end. Darcy tried, where she could, to indulge him. She squeezed his fingers in acquiesce and closed the laptop as he pulled her past it. Lucky followed, dripping oil as he padded along behind them. 

He pulled her into his en-suite bathroom, entirely unconcerned about the mess the dog had made trekking through his bedroom. Darcy made a mental note to call the cleaning staff and warn them. Lucky plonked himself on the bathroom mat between Darcy and Bucky, panting heavily and looking for all the world as though he was having the time of his life. 

He’s a dog, he’s getting attention. This IS the time of his life. 

Bucky looked at Darcy expectantly, and she realised that she needed to take the lead. 

“Okay, Buck, let’s get him in the tub, huh?” 

The super soldier immediately scooped up the yellow lab without further comment and deposited him in the bath. 

“Water-“ She broke speaking off to lunge at him, tugged his arm back from the hot tap, just catching him in time before he turned it on full blast. “We don’t want to scald him, let’s test the temperature first, huh?” Bucky’s mouth formed a small oh and he glanced at the dog who grinned back up at him, unaware of the danger he’d been in. 

“Sorry, Pizza dog.” Darcy caught Bucky murmuring under his breath. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to break him of the habit of calling the dog Barton’s pet name. He could be incredibly literal, and Steve had confided to her that he wasn’t sure Bucky would ever be able to regain his easy way with words, leastways not how Steve remembered it. Darcy still had faith. It was early days even so, and the man had witnessed a lot over his lifetime. Even if he didn’t remember all of it. 

“You feeling that temperature, Buck?” She asked lightly, pulling a towel from the rail in preparation. 

Bucky responded by sticking his metal arm under the tap. 

“Wanna try again?”

He glanced down and then switched arms, letting the water feed between his fingers. Darcy raised an eyebrow in question to him. “S’okay.” He responded, fussing Lucky’s ears carefully with his other hand. 

“”Got shampoo?” He nodded again, and thrust a bottle towards her. She laughed. “Okay, go to town, Buck.”

He managed to cover Lucky, himself and a fair amount of Darcy in shampoo bubbles before the bath was over, and she had to dissuade him from using conditioner as well. He had protested to her that he always used it, that Steve had explained the importance of using both at length. Darcy pointed out that Lucky was a dog, and that didn’t really register with Bucky either. Something that made her love him even harder, though she’d never admit it. 

“Rinse him off, now,” Darcy covered Bucky’s hand with her own, steadying the shower head and its stream of warm water. “Careful, don’t get it in his eyes, he won’t like that.” The man took direction well, and she felt slightly guilty in being pleased that he did. He’d been forced into submission, bent to others’ wills. It felt awkward sometimes, for her to take charge – even though she wanted the best for him. 

“What the-“

Darcy glanced over her shoulder to find Steve, clad in the full Captain America get up, stood in the doorway to the bathroom. He looked slightly worse for wear, but was still standing which counted for a lot in Darcy’s book. There was only so much worrying she could afford to expend over gods & soldiers. 

“Hey, Steve.” She threw him a grin as she massaged soap suds out of Lucky’s side. 

“Hey, Steve,” echoed Bucky, concentrating harder than Darcy was. 

“What are you-“ Steve cut himself off, running a frustrated hand through his hair, which, Darcy noted now she was looking more closely at him, was smoky and filled with ash. “What are you doing?” He finally choked out. 

“Pizza dog messy.” Bucky replied sagely, and Darcy gave Steve an apologetic shrug which she hoped conveyed the situation she was in. 

“Yeah, okay, Buck but-“ Steve’s voice was tight. “Why specifically in my bathroom?”


End file.
